HARTSELLE, Alabama -- Hartselle became only the second team this season to score on Muscle Shoals, but it wasn't enough as a late turnover thwarted the Tigers' shot at an upset in a 24-9 loss to the Class 5A, No. 3-ranked Trojans on Friday night at J.P. Cain Stadium.

Trailing 17-9 late in the fourth quarter, Hartselle started a drive from its own 33-yard line. But sophomore quarterback Jake Tiffin overthrew a pass that was picked off by Trojan safety Ja'leen Hicks, who returned the ball to the Tiger 22-yard line.

Five plays later, Deven Sullivan scored on a 1-yard plunge with 2:21 left in the game to clinch the win for Muscle Shoals (6-0, 4-0 Region 8).

"They kept on running the wheel post," Ricks said. "I was like, 'I've got to get over it.' He overthrew it and I was right there. I was lucky to be there."

Muscle Shoals' Kavonte McDonald runs for a 97-yard touchdown in the second quarter against Hartselle. (Eric Schultz/eschultz@al.com)

Muscle Shoals entered the night having defeated opponents by an average of 44 points, but Hartselle (4-2, 2-2) made a run at the Trojans. Tiffin's 40-yard compeltion to Tanner Oaks helped set up D'Andre Mack's two-yard scoring run to pull the Tigers to within five, 14-9, with 5:22 left in the third quarter.

"We handled it good," Ricks said of the pressure of being challenged for the first time.

"We played our hardest. We did everything right. We had a couple of busts, but we played a good game."

Muscle Shoals used a nine-play drive early in the fourth quarter to move into the Hartselle red zone, but had to settle for a Rhett Morrison 23-yard field goal with 8:33 remaining.

Earlier in the drive, quarterback Landon Smothers had a 50-yard carry that came on the heels of a 64-yard scoring run being negated by a holding penalty.

"We had a chance there to the end," Hartselle coach Bob Godsey said. "I'm proud of these guys. There's no quit in them."

Muscle Shoals led 14-2 at halftime behind a 97-yard scoring run from Kavonte McDonald in the opening minute of the second quarter, and a blocked punt that Kenri Howell scooped up and carried into the end zone on a short return with 4:56 left before the break.

The special teams woes were contagious, as Muscle Shoals later had a high punt snap go out the back of the end zone to get Hartselle on the board with a safety less than a minute before halftime.

Mack finished with 50 yards on 26 carries for Hartselle, which was without it's other tail back, the injured Masio Stover. Tiffin, a first-year starter, completed 12 of 24 passes for 120 yards, 105 of which came in the second half.

"To see him go for the first to second half and see him stand in there and make some throws (was positive)," Godsey said of Tiffin. "Even the interception. he looked at the right guy, he just overthrew it. We can build on that. You've got to fire your bullets. You can't play scared. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. He did a lot of good things. He showed some poise that he hadn't showed before. He stood in there against one of the best defenses in the state."

Sullivan carried 16 times for 23 yards. McDonald had just 10 yards on his three other attempts.

DANIEL BOYETTE'S GAME OF THE WEEKMUSCLE SHOALS 24, HARTSELLE 9

WHY MUSCLE SHOALS WONThe Trojans' stout defense held Hartselle to just 180 yards of offense and seven first downs.

KEY PLAYHartselle trailed 17-9 late in the fourth quarter when Muscle Shoals' Ja'leen Ricks picked off a pass and returned it to the Tiger 22-yard line. The Trojans scored five plays later to ice the win with 2:21 remaining.

GAME BALLGive it to Muscle Shoals' front seven, which held Hartselle to 1.9 yards per carry.

THE BIG STATMuscle Shoals finished with no passing yards on three incompletions. The Trojans ran 37 times for 221 yards.

NEXT WEEKMuscle Shoals hosts East Limestone, while Hartselle welcomes West Point.